“Aura farming” has recently become an annoyingly popular term to describe supposedly effortless attention-seeking, but as far as the Pokémon games go, the real king of aura was introduced exactly at the start of the series, and he’s still unmatched.
This specific character has the distinction of being not just a beloved protagonist, but also the coolest and toughest opponent that you will face in the games. I’m talking about Red, the main character of the Gen 1 and 3 games, and the final battle against him in the Gen 2 games and their Gen 4 remakes is still unmatched decades later.
Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal marked a massive shift away from their predecessors, despite running on the same portable console. The games improved visually, with better sprites and more fluidity, but the major changes were in the gameplay itself. We got two new types (dark and steel), the Special stat split, held items, gender, breeding, and even a night/day cycle that blew my mind as a kid. But the biggest revolution was the endgame content. When you beat the Elite Four in Gen 2, you unlock the Kanto region from Gen 1 and can freely explore it, battling the gym leaders again. And of course, if you are strutting around Kanto claiming to be the best, sooner or later you’ll have to face the real best.
Playing Pokémon Gold on my Game Boy Color was the first time I realized the scope that a video game could achieve. These sequels felt like true extensions of their predecessors, as they recognized the existence of that world and connected to it. Going back to Kanto for the first time is an unbelievable experience that every Pokémon gamer who played the first two Gens remembers and cherishes. Just as we all remember the summit of Mt. Silver.
